Niagara-based band Danny Lamb and the Association are among the region’s latest talent to cause a stir on the national stage.

Lamb and his band are among the top 100 artists nation-wide to make the cut for top 100 in CBC’s annual Searchlight competition.

The band's song Champion (ft. Chris Tse & Meaghan Gowrie) was one of 50 songs hand-selected by CBC judges.

Lamb chatted with Niagara Now Tuesday. He said the news came as a shock to him, after waking one morning to a congratulatory message from a friend.

“I didn’t even share (my submission) on social media,” he said. “So when I saw his message I thought ‘what are you talking about?’”

He said part of him was in disbelief.

“A part of me was like ‘oh my God, this is wild —I got chosen of all these incredible Canadian artists that there are, among thousands of submissions.’”

It’s a “positive little kick in the butt,” he said.

“Regardless of what comes of it, somebody at CBC says we’re good enough.”

The song was inspired by a sports conference Lamb attended, which placed a heavy emphasis on inclusivity and what it means to be somebody’s champion.

“I started to hear that word a lot, and started thinking about the champions in my life, and in what ways they have been the champion — and what the word champion even means to me,” Lamb said.

“To me, this idea of a champion is that person that really flips a switch from off to on for somebody — turns an I can’t into an I can.”

Lamb said his own list of champions has grown throughout his life, helping him to take the next steps in times where he didn’t know if he could.

“The song is written with the underdog in mind — the person in life that maybe isn’t necessarily supposed to be anything, but because of that one person that says that they can, they actually do incredible things.”

He said the song is meant to encourage people be champions to people in their own lives, in every aspect.

Another big reason Lamb is “fired up” about the song is because it was chosen as the dance song for ME to WE’s Take Action Camp for the past two summers.

“A couple thousand kids came through camp in that time, and it was incredible because I watched these kids constantly be fuelled by the song, and take the meaning of the song and actually bring it to life at camp,” Lamb said.

“That’s a huge part of why I believe in this song.”

The winning artist will be invited to the Juno Awards March 24 to 26.

Lamb said he’s supposed to be in India working with ME to WE during this year’s Junos, though he’d have to fly home to attend if he wins.

“There would be a bunch of people probably not very happy with me, but I would hope they would be okay … I’d wear a ME to WE t-shirt to the Junos,” Lamb joked.